The interaction of law enforcement agencies has been a hot topic in the news recently. It isn’t new news. Some of us have seen the good and the bad of it for many years. A dance that gets complicated at times.

From my recently released novel, GROUND EFFECT:

His experience with the Border Patrol had been hot and cold. The field troops were okay but the bosses were at the mercy of the brain farts in DC. A tug of war between business wanting cheap labor and drug runners shooting up innocent Texans. No one seemed to have solutions. It kept Gerry very busy. The Rangers had specially trained units to deal with the border but they were spread pretty thin. More often than not it fell on the “local” Rangers to step in and try to put some sense to it.

The dusty Tahoe fit into a space between a shiny sedan and a marked sheriff’s van. Gerry felt the hood of the sedan as he passed and it was warm. A recent arrival. It screamed FBI. Oh, joy. The airport would be filled with arriving Assistant Directors and the local SAC would be sending his clerks and junior agents to pick them up and chauffeur them around. This was probably one of the agents assigned to the San Antonio office. Gerry knew a couple of them and was not impressed. But they seldom ventured out into the desert so there was that.

Just inside the door, a folding table blocked the entrance. A uniformed female deputy was sitting there in front of an open laptop computer with a young guy in a suit. She looked up as Gerry walked in. She smiled, nodded and started writing on what appeared to be a log or sign in sheet. Gerry nodded back and started around the table.

“Wait. We need to see your ID,” the suit chirped and stuck his hand up in a stop motion.

Gerry didn’t slow down and the female deputy tried to say something but before she could, the suit was up and sliding to his right into the space Gerry was about to enter. “I said to wait, we need an ID to check you in.” The chirp had gone up an octave and a few clicks in volume.

“Sir, he’s okay, I know him,” the deputy finally said.

But he was in Gerry’s face now and then he wasn’t. The suit’s feet left the ground and his hands scrambled to find the two stronger hands lifting up and setting him aside.

“You might better listen to the deputy there, fella,” Gerry whispered in his right ear. The suit stumbled as his feet unevenly hit the concrete floor. The leather soles of his shiny dress shoes slid sideways and Gerry had to hold him steady until the shoes slowed a bit.

“Hey!” The suit blurted loudly. A few heads turned on those nearest them. The deputy was next to the suit now and had him by the arm.

“Texas Ranger, agent. He’s allowed in. Sit down and pay attention.” She was not amused. “See the badge? And the hat. How long you been in Texas, son?”

Gerry made sure the young man was not going to fall over and then went on into the room. Another wonderful encounter with the federal brothers.